The invention is based on the object of making available a device in accordance with the species which does not have the above mentioned disadvantages. It is a further object to make available a manual drive mechanism which permits the user to easily transfer sufficient force to the cutters and simultaneously to reach a large number of revolutions, respectively a high cutting speed, in order to be able to also process increased amounts of material difficult to process, such as, for example, hard, fibrous and/or wet material to be processed, without problems. Moreover, manufacture and assembly of the device should be cost-efficient and the device should suitable to be used for further processing steps of foodstuffs, besides cutting or chopping, and should generally be simple, safe and easy to operate and clean with little effort.
This object is attained by means of a device having the characteristics of claim 1.
A device for processing foodstuffs substantially consists of a top part, a drive mechanism, a lower part with a processing container, as well as a processing unit, which can be manually driven by means of the drive unit and put into a rotating motion. The drive mechanism can be operated by means of a cord pull drive, and the drive mechanism and the processing unit are in an operative connection via a releasable torque-proof connection. The drive mechanism substantially comprises a primary and a secondary drive unit, which are in an operative connection via gears in such a way that a transmission ratio, preferably of 1:1.5 to 1:4, is achieved, particularly preferred of between 1:1.8 and 1:1.9. In one embodiment, the primary and secondary drive units are arranged axis-parallel in relation to each other. It is furthermore possible that the secondary drive unit is arranged coaxially in relation to a central axis of the device, and a driveshaft of the primary drive unit eccentrically thereto. Furthermore, at least one of the drive units intersects the axis of the respectively other drive unit. In a further form of embodiment, the primary drive unit comprises, coaxially arranged, a spring housing, winder and drive wheel, and the secondary drive unit comprises, coaxially arranged, an axial journal, rotor disk and bearing bushing. In a special embodiment, the primary drive unit is in operative connection via an internal tooth arrangement of the drive wheel with a external tooth arrangement of the axial journal of the secondary drive unit. One option consists in that a bearing journal, which extends freely downward from an underside of the cover supports the primary drive unit. Furthermore, the primary drive unit can be arranged approximately horizontally in the top part and can be supported against the interior cover wall in this position. In a preferred embodiment the axial journal and the rotor disk have a central hexagonal receptacle on the underside for receiving an axially displaceable upper coupling element in torque-proof connection, which can be brought out of an upper free-wheeling position into a lower torque-proof engagement position with a lower engagement member for transmitting the rotary movement of the drive mechanism to the processing unit. In a further form of embodiment, the processing container is a substantially rotation-symmetrical vessel for receiving material to be processed, in which the drive unit is preferably arranged radially in respect to the central axis. In a preferred form of embodiment, the support element supports the primary drive unit, and partially absorbs the deflection force introduced by the swinging movement into the winder and the bearing journal.